Carr Lodge wins Nature space of the Year at Land Trust awards

Carr Lodge was the winner of Nature Site of the Year at the Land Trust awards 2018.

Working in partnership with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the Land Trust took ownership of the eight hectare nature reserve in 2012, and over the last six years the site has been transformed.

When the site was taken on it was heavily overgrazed by horses and with no control over water levels, breeding birds in particular suffered badly.

Over the last couples of years the horses have been replaced by a mixture of Hebridean sheep and Highland cattle and a state of the art pressure fed pump system ensures the wet grassland is in optimal condition for breeding waders.

The site also supports Great Crested Newts, Badgers and Water Voles while Yellow Wagtails and waders (including Redshank and Lapwing) have returned to the site to breed.

Land Trust director of portfolio management, Alan Carter, said:

“When the Land Trust took over the management of Carr Lodge back in 2012 we could see the potential the site had but significant work needed to be done.

“Working with our managing partners, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the site has become a real haven for wildlife which has been fantastic to see and we look forward to seeing how this develops further over the next few years.”